Crossing Realms
by Mourning Dahl
Summary: Charlotte Watsford avoided losing her tail and powers the night of the fifty year full moon. After swimming away, she finds herself in the small town of Storybrooke, Maine.
1. Prologue

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Charlotte looked down at the three girls who held her aloft. The moon shone down brightly, illuminating the moon pool and beginning the magic. Any second now, they would drop her, she would fall into the pool, and she would lose everything of she didn't think fast enough.

Her heart beating fast, Charlotte swept her arm across the air, turning their wind back on them. They were shoved back against the wall of the cave, and Charlotte began to fall. Thinking quickly, she redirected the wind so that she landed on the sand. Lewis looked at her in shock, but she ignored him.

Just a few more minutes until the moon's passed, Charlotte thought. Then, I'll...

But Charlotte didn't know what she would do then.

"What are you doing, Charlotte?" Lewis asked from behind her.

"Not letting them take what's mine," she snarled. They were starting to move, but slowly. She still had time. Out of the corner of her eye, Charlotte saw Lewis start to move toward her, and moved away from him. "I'm not letting you do it, either," she continued.

"Charlotte, I'm sorry, I didn't want it to be like this," Lewis said, and Charlotte heard in his voice that he meant it. She almost wanted to ask what he didn't want: this fight between all of them, her even getting her tail, the two of them meeting at all?

"I didn't either," she instead said quietly. The moon finally passed, and the pool quieted. The magic had passed, there was no danger of any of them losing their tails. Careful not look at any of them, Charlotte dived into the pool and swam away.

The water was dark, but Charlotte had no problem seeing. She swam as fast as she could, in no particular direction except away. She didn't want the others finding her and trying something else.

Away from the light of the moon, her mind was clearing somewhat.

If she could, she probably would've started crying.

Charlotte flicked her tail harder and swam faster.

 _Oh god, what have I done?_ _What have I done?_ What was gonna happen when she got back home? Or when she saw the other girls or Lewis?

 _I need to get away from here._ Ahead of her, Charlotte saw a bright flash of light, the water began to swirl around her, and before she could stop, the world went black.


	2. A Different Place

Charlotte opened her eyes to a cloudy sky. She heard the screeching of seagulls all around her, and water was lapping at her tail.

Her tail!

She sat up on her elbows, and looked around in a panic, but luckily no one else was on the beach. With difficulty, she pulled herself away from the waves and began to dry herself.

As soon as she was able, she stood and took in her surroundings. She clearly wasn't on the Gold Coast anymore. The beach was more rocks than sand, and the perpetual sunshine was replaced with dark clouds. She shivered from the cold wind and headed toward some docks she saw ahead. They were more fit for industrial purposes than fishing boats and the like. But the weirdest thing, in the distance, there was a giant, old-fashioned ship. She had no other discriptive for it except pirate ship.

Charlotte pulled her purple sweater tighter and began walking towards some fishermen. As she walked, she tried to make sense of everything that had happened. There had been a flash of light, and suddenly she was another place. Was it connected? But more importantly, how was she getting home? The logical answer was to swim, but she would have plot out a course or something.

Charlotte sighed tiredly. First thing she had to do was call her mother and reassure her that she was okay. Charlotte reached into her pocket and felt for her cellphone. When she felt nothing, she remembered with a sinking heart that she had left her phone at home when she went to the moon pool the night before.

Finally, she made it to the docks. Down a ways, Charlotte saw the way into a town. She approached a younger, black haired fishermen, who was currently chopping up fish on a large table.

"Um, excuse me?" Charlotte said nervously.

The man looked up, his eyes widening in surprise at her appearance. "Hello. Can I help you?"

"Yes," Charlotte said, thinking quickly. "I had a bit a strange night. This is gonna sound weird, but where exactly am I?"

The man raised his eyebrow slightly. "Storybrooke, Maine," he said gently, in a tone that implied she should've already known that.

Charlotte nodded her understanding. She looked back out to the water, tears pricking her eyes. How on Earth did she get to America?

He must've noticed her distress, because he quickly walked around the table and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, it's going to be okay. My name's Eric, what's yours?"

"Charlotte," she said quietly, biting her lip. "My name's Charlotte Watsford."

"Nice to meet you," Eric said kindly. "Can I call someone for you? Your mom or dad?"

"No, I'm fine," she lied. She didn't want to draw any more attention to herself. "Well, I should get going," Charlotte said, drawing a breath. "Thank you for your help." She gave him a grateful smile and turned around, walking towards the town.

-XOXO-

Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated!


	3. A Quiet Town

Storybrooke, Maine had to be one of the quaintest towns that Charlotte had ever seen.

She walked down the streets, taking in the sights; the town looked like it should've been in a brochure for a romantic getaway. If she hadn't been in this situation, she would've liked to be here. She came to a big clock tower, and saw a diner up the street. The bell tinkled as she walked in. She quickly glanced around; the diner was empty except for a brunette behind the counter.

"Hi," the brunette said with a smile. "Welcome to Granny's."

"Thanks," Charlotte replied nervously, sliding into the nearest booth.

The woman grabbed a pad off the counter and walked over. "My name's Ruby. What can I getyou?"

"Just some water, please. With a straw," Charlotte quickly added. She pulled out the few dollars in her pocket, but her stomach dropped; all she had were Australian currency. She looked up at Ruby. "I'm sorry, this is all I have," she said quietly.

Ruby bit her lip for a second before picking up the bills. "It's okay. You're from Australia?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes. I'm… visiting. I'm sorry, I had a rough night, I need some time alone."

"Right, I'm sorry. I'll go get you something to eat. Is a sandwich okay?

"That's fine, thank you."

Ruby stuffed the bills into her pocket and went back behind the counter and stuck up the order. She brought over the glass of water, and Charlotte quickly drank it as Ruby went back to the counter and resumed her conversation with the blonde.

The mermaid looked out the window to the sidewalk. Across the street, she saw a man walking a Dalmatian dog, and holding an umbrella on his shoulder. Charlotte rubbed her temples; her mom was probably freaking out, worried about her. Oh, god, what if she called the other girls? Or Lewis? Would they cover for her?

Charlotte drummed her fingers against the table, lost in thought until Ruby brought over her food and a water refill.

"Thank you," Charlotte murmured, quickly digging in.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Actually, there is. Is there a phone here I could use?"

Ruby reached into her pocket and handed her a small cellphone before walking back to the counter. She quickly dialed her mother's number, but was met with a recorded voice saying it was invalid. Charlotte quickly redialed, but the result was the same. She tried Lewis's phone, but nothing.

Tears threatening to spill over, Charlotte put down the phone. She pushed the plate away, her appetite lost. Thankfully, Ruby walked back over and retrieved her phone. "Thank you," Charlotte whispered.

"Did you get ahold of anyone?"

"No, I didn't. Um, is there a library or anything around here?"

Ruby nodded. "It's under the clock tower."

Charlotte felt a glimmer of hope. "Would it be open right now?"

"Well, I think Belle's already gone home for the day, but she normally gets there pretty early in the morning."

"Okay, thank you." Charlotte turned and went to the door, narrowly avoiding a blonde woman in a red coat coming through the front door. "Excuse me," she muttered on her way out. When she made it out to the street, she steeled herself and began walking down the street.


	4. New Person in Town

Ruby knew something was up the second the girl walked in the door to Granny's. Her werewolf sense of smell was heightened, and when she got up close to Charlotte, the smell of fish and ocean seemed to smack her in the face.

"Granny, have you seen that girl before?" She asked quietly to the older woman behind the counter.

She looked over to the red-head in the booth, and shook her head. "Don't believe so." Granny took a sniff of her own. "She doesn't smell quite right, does she?"

"What if she came from the other side of the barrier?"

"Ruby, nobody can come from the other side. There's another explanation." Granny stood up and got a better look. "Her smell is very familiar. Like she just walked out of the ocean."

"Maybe she's a mermaid," Ruby suggested off-hand. The girl walked out, barely missing bumping into Emma on her way in.

"Afternoon, Ruby," Emma said jovially, going up to the counter, but Ruby was all business.

"Emma, that girl who just left? I don't think she's from around here," the werewolf said, pouring her a cup of coffee.

"What are you talking about? It's not like anyone can accidentally stumble into the town," Emma reminded her. "Maybe you've just never seen her before."

Ruby scoffed. "Yeah, maybe. But her scent, it's off somehow. She smelled like the ocean."

"So? She lives by the sea."

Ruby placed the bills Charlotte had given her on the counter. "She also said this was all she had."

Emma lightly ran her hand over the money. "Okay, that is strange. Any idea where she went?"

"Well, she asked about when the library would be open. I told her tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'll swing by there, talk to her."

The door opened and Henry came into the diner. "Hi, Mom, hi, Ruby." He gave Emma a quick hug. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to the bills.

"Just some money. Hey, mind if we take a drive for a second, Henry?"

"Yeah, sure. Where are we going?"

"The town line, I just need to check on it."

A few minutes later, the yellow Bug pulled up to the edge of the town. Emma quickly got out of the car and approached the mark in the road. Slowly, she put a hand to it and a glimmer waved from it.

"What's going on, Mom?" Henry asked, walking up to the blonde sheriff.

"Just… making sure that the barrier is still up. Ruby said a girl came into the diner who didn't smell right, and had an Australian accent."

"Should we find her?" The two walked back to the Bug and climbed in. "What if she's actually a spy or something like Tamara and Greg?"

"Well, I know she'll be at the library tomorrow morning."

"Can I come, Mom?"

Emma smiled. "You've got school tomorrow. But I'll tell you what happens."

* * *

Charlotte shivered as she walked down the streets of Storybrooke, hugging her arms tightly. She had been able to keep the rain at bay so far, and it seemed like the storm was dissipating for now. So, the only thing to worry about now was where she was going to spend the night, before going to the library in the morning.

She was in a neighborhood now, with very nice houses lining the streets. It was getting darker and darker, and Charlotte sat down on a curb side, resting her forehead on her knees.

"Look on the bright side," she muttered. "At least you don't have to worry about the full moon."

"Can I help you?"

An authoritarian voice broke Charlotte from her reverie, and she looked up to see a tall, black-haired woman standing beside her on the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry?" She asked weakly.

"You're sitting in front of my house," the woman clarified, pointing at the two-story behind Charlotte. "Did you need something?"

"No, I'm fine." Charlotte stood up and brushed her jeans off. "I just needed to sit down for a moment."

"It's nearly dark. Why are you still walking around?"

"No reason," Charlotte said, squaring her jaw. She started to turn, but the woman gently held onto her arm, just tight enough to keep her from leaving.

"Young lady, do you have somewhere to go?" The woman asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. The maternal tone in her voice made Charlotte relax somewhat.

"Um, no, I don't. It's complicated," she struggled to get out. "I can't go home right now."

The woman gave her a smile. "Well, why don't you spend the night with me? And tomorrow I can help you."

"But I don't know you, and you don't know me," Charlotte said. "Why would you want to help me?"

"I'm the mayor of Storybrooke, Regina Mills," she introduced herself.

"I'm Charlotte." With a grateful smile, Charlotte followed Regina into her house.


	5. Meeting People

"So, do you live here by yourself?"

"Well, my son, Henry, lives with me, but he's at his grandparents' house tonight."

Charlotte watched from the kitchen island as Regina went about cooking dinner. "Are you sure I can't do anything? I hate not helping out."

"I've got it, Charlotte," Regina waved away her offers. She put a lid on the sauce, letting it simmer. "While that's going, I'll show you the guest room."

"Thank you, Ms. Mills."

"You can call me Regina, dear."

The two ascended the stairs, Charlotte being slightly in awe of her decorating. They passed a room that must've been her son Henry's, and finally made it to an empty room with a bed.

"There's a bathroom in here, and I'll whip up some clothes for you," Regina said, indicating to the other door.

"Thank you. I really do appreciate everything you've done for me, Ms. Mills. I'm sorry, Regina," Charlotte corrected herself. "I promise I'll be gone by morning. I just need to get to the library."

Regina gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know what it's like to have troubles at home. Why don't you take a shower, and we'll talk about it over dinner?"

Charlotte smiled and nodded, going to the bathroom and shutting the door, just barely missing Regina waving her hand and conjuring a set of pajamas on the bed.

Upstairs, Charlotte lay in the bathtub, her gold tail hanging out over the edge. She put her cheek on her hand and sighed heavily. She had to make sure to get plenty of rest tonight; when she found a route at the library, she would have a long swim tomorrow. Across the ocean was further than any of them had ever done.

 _I'd like to see Cleo swim across the ocean,_ Charlotte thought snidely. She chuckled lightly, thinking of their faces when they learned of what happened.

 _But what_ had _happened?_

No matter how many times she ran it through her mind, Charlotte couldn't think of a proper explanation for what had happened. But the people here were kind so far,

She looked up through the small window and saw the moon gazing down at her. Ever since she had gotten here, everything had just felt the tiniest bit off, somehow. Even the moon did.

Eventually, though, she knew she had to get out of the tub. She unplugged the tub and waited as most of the water drained out. As soon as she could, Charlotte held her hand out and began generating heat to dry her off.

Then sparks began to appear from her hand.

A small shriek erupted form her lips, but she was dry instantly. Charlotte quickly scrambled out of the tub and stood by it, looking with fear at her hands.

 _I'm must've imagined it._

Charlotte took the cup next to the sink and filled it up halfway. She held her hand out and focused on making the water boil. Red sparks flew from her fingers, but the water in the cup began to bubble. She yanked her hand away and the water stilled.

Were her powers growing? If they were, growing into what?

She tried the rest of her powers. When she tried to freeze the water, it didn't happen instantly, rather, ice seemed to come straight from her palms, turning the water in the glass into a solid block.

 _I'm getting stronger,_ Charlotte thought with a smirk. Had she found something in this town that made her stronger, and she just didn't know it? Maybe Regina would know something.

 _Something about magic? Don't be absurd._

She went into the room and slipped on the pajama set, smiling with relief at the feeling of the soft fabric against her skin. Charlotte began walking down the hall, when something caught her eye:

The door to Henry's room was slightly ajar, and on the bed was a big tan book. Glancing down the hall, Charlotte opened the door and slipped into the room. A strange feeling drew her to the book, and she saw the gold embossed title: _Once Upon a Time._

 _Cute name for a fairy tale book._ Charlotte opened the book, her eyebrow raised. She began to lift the cover-

"Charlotte!" Regina called from downstairs. "Dinner's ready!"

She quickly stepped away from the book and hurried out the room.


	6. This Isn't Normal

Charlotte woke as the sun rose.

On the chair in the corner were clothes, clean and folded. Quickly, she dressed and tiptoed down the steps, careful to not make noise. She didn't want Regina to see her leaving, and the last thing she needed was trying to explain things.

She closed the front door quietly behind her and headed off down the street towards the library.

By the time she made it to the middle of town, the sun had gotten a little higher, and Charlotte took off her jacket as she warmed up. The storms from the day before had dispersed, and it was shaping up to be a sunny day.

Luckily, by the time she made it to the library, there was a young brunette woman unlocking the door. Charlotte quickly jogged up to her. "Excuse me, are you Belle?"

The woman gave her a smile, and opened the door. "I am, yes. Who are you?"

Charlotte let out a quiet breath of relief at Belle's familiar Australian accent. "My name's Charlotte. Ruby said you were the librarian?"

Belle nodded and motioned for Charlotte to follow her inside. "Yes, I am. What can I help you with?"

"I wanted to see if you had any world maps, maybe with ocean currents on it?"

Belle thought for a minute. "I'm sure we do." She went past a few shelves before coming to one with large hardback books. "Here are some atlases, pretty new." She pulled the large book off the shelf and set them on the table. "This should be what you're looking for."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Charlotte said, opening the atlas.

"Don't mention it. It's nice to meet another person from my land," Belle said, walking back to the front.

Charlotte raised her eyebrow eyebrow at the strange phrasing, but began looking over the maps.

Twenty minutes into her researching, the front door of the library opened. She could hear Belle greet whoever had walked in.

"Good morning, Emma, Killian. How are you two today?"

She didn't hear the responses, but she just turned back to the atlas. Even though she could be fast, this could still be an incredibly long trip; she wouldn't be able to do it in one setting. Charlotte sighed and rubbed her temples; this might be harder than she thought.

"Charlotte?"

She looked up to see the same blonde woman from the diner standing with a cup of coffee in her hand, a calm smile on her face.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Charlotte asked, raising her eyebrow.

The woman pulled out a chair opposite the teenager and sat down. "My name's Emma Swan. I'm the sheriff of Storybrooke."

"Did I do something wrong?" Charlotte chuckled, shutting the book.

"Well, that depends. When did you get into town, Charlotte?"

"Yesterday morning. Why?"

"And where are your parents?"

Charlotte tightened her hand into fists. "I'm sorry, how is this your business?"

"Not a lot of people come to Storybrooke," Emma explained vaguely. "And a sixteen-year-old girl running around town by herself? Well, as sheriff, I have to make sure you're not a delinquent or anything."

Charlotte's fist tightened, and the top popped off of Emma's cup of coffee. The liquid was frothing and bubbling like crazy, and again, red sparks began to fly from her fists.

"Are you doing that, Charlotte?" Emma demanded.

Charlotte stood up and rushed past the shelves, almost crashing into a tall, dark-haired man at the entrance.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked, steadying Charlotte with one hand. She glanced down at his other arm, her eyes widening at the sight of a silver hook where his hand should be.

"I… I have to go," Charlotte said breathlessly, pushing past him and going out the door, into the street. She looked at her hands again, they were still shooting the sparks, and she could feel her hands getting hotter.

"What is going on with me?" she whispered.

The door behind her opened, and Emma stood there with the dark-haired man. Emma held her hands up to Charlotte, her eyes wide, but her voice surprisingly calm. "Charlotte, we don't want to hurt you. We just need to talk."

All thought fled from her mind, she acted purely on instinct. Charlotte swept her arms back, directing a gale force wind at the pair, knocking them back into the library. She went to freeze the door handle, like how she had trapped Cleo and Emma, and the sparks changed to the beam of ice. Instantly, both doors were frozen solid.

"Stop right there, Charlotte!"

She whirled around, holding her hands out, and found Regina standing a few feet away from her, her hands holding a blazing fireball.


	7. Uncontrollable

Emma rattled the door as hard as she could. "This better not be Elsa all over again," she muttered.

"What the hell is going on here, Swan?" Killian asked, attempting to open the door.

"That girl just froze the door, after boiling my coffee."

"Can you open the door, Emma?" Belle asked worriedly.

"I'll try. You two stand back." Belle and Killian quickly ducked behind the desk and Emma waved her hands, sending a blast of light magic at the frozen doors.

Outside, Regina stepped closer to Charlotte, keeping her fireball at the ready. Charlotte herself was holding her visibly shaking hands out in front of her, her eyes wide.

"Please, I don't want hurt anyone!" Charlotte called, her voice cracking. Red sparks flew from her fingers, and the puddles surrounding them began floating up bubbles of water. The wind began to blow hard and down the street, a loud bolt of lightning struck a tree.

"Somehow, I'm having trouble believing that," Regina said coldly.

"Regina, stop!" Emma calmly approached the pair, her hands at waist level. "Put away the fireball, she's just a kid!"

"So was Pan," Regina countered, but she did put her hands down.

Charlotte looked around wildly; her powers had never been this out of control before. She pulled her hands away from the pair, but the wind continued to blow. The water bubbles around them froze to ice, falling like hail.

Emma carefully approached the teenager. "Charlotte, we can help you, just calm down."

She took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself. The wind stopped for a moment, but started back up again. Charlotte collapsed to her knees, holding herself tightly. She was losing control of her powers, but she couldn't. Not now, not in front of these strangers. She would rather take nonstop "I told you so's" from the others.

"Regina, this isn't working. She can't control herself."

"I can see that, Emma. What do we do?"

"Well, I have an idea, but I don't think anyone's gonna like it."

Before Regina could ask, Emma took a deep breath, walked up to the cowering teenager, and punched her hard in the face.

Charlotte dropped to the ground, instantly unconscious. As she fell, her arm fell into a small puddle of water, and before the small group's eyes, the teenager became a golden-tailed mermaid.


	8. Let's Talk

"Well, this explains a few things, I suppose," Regina quipped, looking down at the unconscious mermaid. "Though, not everything."

"What do you suppose we do?" Emma asked, reaching down and checking her pulse. Satisfied that it was fine, she looked up to see Belle and Killian finally coming out of the library, approaching the three.

"Is everything alright?" Belle started to ask, suddenly coming to a halt at the sight before her. "Is that a mermaid?"

"She doesn't look like any mermaid I've seen," Killian muttered, looking Charlotte over. "What is she doing here on land?"

Regina stepped forward. "We need to get her out of the street before we anything else. I'll take her to my home, and stay with her until she comes to."

"I'll come with you, Regina. You might need help if she wakes up and freaks out again," Emma offered.

Killian grabbed her arm. "Swan, you've got to be careful. Mermaids can't be trusted."

Emma gave him a comforting smile. "I'll be fine, Killian. Can you and Belle look at the things she was researching, and give me a call?"

Killian nodded and they exchanged a quick kiss. Emma

Regina waved her hand, a cloud engulfed the three of them, and they were gone.

"Come on, Killian," Belle gently tugged on his sleeve, and they walked back to the library. "Don't worry, they'll be fine."

Almost instantly, they reappeared in the room Charlotte had slept in the night before, the mermaid laid out on the bed.

"Okay, what do you think we should do about her, Regina?" Emma asked, folding her arms. "Do you know anything about mermaids?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, but everything I know doesn't seem to apply to her."

"How do you mean?"

"Like how they're only able to have legs during the tide, at a certain time, and even then, they can only have legs for twelve hours. Charlotte's been here since yesterday morning, with legs."

"Maybe she's a different kind of mermaid?" Emma suggested. "She has an Australian accent. Do you think it's possible, well, maybe she could be from this realm?"

"That's impossible," Regina dismissed. "There isn't any magic outside of Storybrooke."

"Maybe another realm like ours, but with magic," Emma threw out. Her cell began ringing, and she quickly answered. "Belle, what did you find?"

"She was looking at ocean currents, taking notes for a route to the coast of Australia."

"Makes sense, she's Australian, she's a mermaid. Maybe she's trying to swim home."

"She made a circle by Australia, but there's nothing there."

A groan interrupted them, and Emma quickly said good-bye and hung up as Charlotte's eyes fluttered open.

"What's going on?" she whispered, slowly trying to sit up. Wasn't she just in the middle of the street? Her eyes widened as she realized she had a tail in front of the two women. This was it, wasn't it? She was going to get sent to a science experiment. They might find the others-

"Charlotte, it's okay," Emma quickly said. "We're not going to hurt you. We know mermaids exist. You're not the first one we've met."

"Did you two… I saw Regina holding fire. I think you blasted the doors off the library? Do you… do you two have magic?" The words came out in a rush, as her mind whirled. The two women in front of her seemed sane enough, and they didn't

Regina sighed and sat down in the chair in the corner, already sensing a long explanation.

Emma glanced at the mayor. "Charlotte, do you know what the Enchanted Forest is?"

"What is that, a park in Disney Land?"

Emma turned to Regina. "Go get the book, it might be easier to explain with it."

Regina nodded and walked out the room. "Okay," Charlotte sighed, "let me get rid of this." She held her hand out over her golden tail, and steam started to rise from it.

"Are you doing that, Charlotte?"

"Yes," Charlotte asked quietly, not bothering to offer any more information.

Emma watched with fascination as Charlotte briefly turned to water before becoming normal again. Charlotte stood and straightened her clothes. "So, I think we should talk."


	9. Truths

"So, you're a mermaid," Emma began tentatively. The three sat at the dining room table, Regina at the head, Emma and Charlotte sitting across from each other. The big storybook from Henry's room was on the table in front of Regina.

"Yes, I'm a mermaid. But I wasn't born a mermaid, I became one, a month ago."

"But how is that possible?" Regina asked. "How could a normal person be turned into a mermaid?"

"There's an island, a few miles off the coast of Australia. Mako Island. It's… it's magical. That's where I became a mermaid."

"Is there anyone else like you?" Regina asked, her hands clenched together.

Charlotte hesitated. She wouldn't endanger the other three, and there was no reason for them to know anyway… "No, I'm the only one. I'm the only mermaid."

Emma raised her eyebrow slightly, and she looked at Regina for a moment before turning back. "Okay, well, what are you doing in Storybrooke?"

"It was an accident. I honestly don't know how I got here. Two nights ago, I was swimming, when there was a bright light, and I woke up on the beach here yesterday morning."

"A portal?" Regina asked. "You created a portal, by _accident_?"

"I… I suppose. But I didn't know I could do that, I didn't know I had that ability."

"What else can you do?" Emma asked, thinking back to the way the water in the street acted.

Charlotte held her hand out to the vase of flowers on the table. A large bubble formed from the water, and she suspended it in midair. With a twist of her hand, she froze the bubble, the boiled it until it disappeared.

"I can do a few more things. I can control the wind, create lightning and fire. Storms, if I'm really trying. I normally have great control over my powers," she explained. "But ever since coming here… it's like they're spiraling out of control. Well, you saw what happened earlier."

Regina sighed tiredly, rubbing her temples. "Alright, we need to get you home, that's obvious. The problem is trying to figure out how."

"Can't I just swim home?"

"If you came here by portal, it's more than likely that you came from another realm. It won't be as easy as you think."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "That would explain why Mako Island wasn't on the map at the library." Her stomach clenched tight, but she tried to hide her fear. "How do I create another portal to go home?"

Regina and Emma shared another look, and Charlotte demanded, "What? What is it?"

"We don't know how mermaid create portals," Regina admitted somberly.

"So, I'm stuck here?" Charlotte's heart beat harder, and the lights in the house began to flicker, and her hair began to stand on end as the electricity in the air turned up.

"Calm down, Charlotte," Regina instructed, taking hold of the teenager's hand. "If you electrocute me in my own house, I will be extremely upset. Take a deep breath, and calm yourself."

Charlotte nodded, and tried to follow her instructions. She took a breath and attempted to calm the whirlpool of emotions inside her. _'Get a grip,'_ she thought angrily, _'You'll figure something out, you're not totally helpless.'_

The lights stopped flickering, and brightened back to normal. Charlotte let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I've got it under control." She looked up at the two women, desperation in her eyes. "Is there any way I can get home?"

"There's another mermaid we know. Her name's Ariel. She might be able to tell you how you can get home," Regina offered.

"That's funny," Charlotte said, a steel tone in her voice. "A mermaid, named Ariel. Really funny. Let me guess, red hair? In love with a prince named Eric?"

Emma chuckled slightly. "And I suppose now's a better time than any to explain what exactly this town is. Regina?"

The dark-haired woman passed the large storybook over to Charlotte, who took it with a questioning gaze. She lifted the heavy cover, and began to read.


	10. Revelations

Regina and Emma stood in the kitchen, both keeping an eye on the teenager going through the storybook in the dining room. Every once and a while, she would look at them with a raised eyebrow before turning back.

"This is getting stranger and stranger," Emma muttered, taking a sip of coffee.

"I'm just glad she's not trying to kill us. Makes for a nice change of pace."

"Let's just get her home, then we can move back to getting the fairies out of the Sorcerer's hat."

"So, you believe here? That's she's just a stray mermaid trying to get back home?"

Emma nodded. "She's not lying about trying to get home. But she _is_ lying about being the only mermaid."

"Yes, I picked up on that too."

And we've met other people from other realms, it's entirely possible that she is too." She looked back to the dining room, and sighed. "And it looks like she's gone."

Regina started for the dining room, but it was true. The book had been left on the table, Charlotte's chair pushed back, but the teenager was nowhere to be seen.

"Great," Regina muttered, running her hands through her hair. She turned back to Emma, "Come on, she can't have gone far."

"Wait, Regina. I have a better idea."

Outside, Charlotte was walking with purpose down the street, going as fast as she could.

 _Fairy tales are real. They live here._

As she walked, she recognized more and more people from the book. Ruby from the diner, she had been Red Riding Hood. The woman at the library was the titular beauty from Beauty and the Beast, the man with the hook for a hand, must've been Captain Hook. She passed a small group of men that she recognized as the seven dwarves.

 _No, this is insane. In the book, Regina was the Evil Queen. From Snow White. But she was so kind…_

The Evil Queen had placed the entire Enchanted Forest under a curse, which banished them to Maine without a clue as to who they were, that's what the book had said.

Charlotte began to run faster towards the beach she had washed up on. She needed the safety and security of the ocean, and in no time, she reached the waves. Not caring who might see (after all, if this was all true everyone knew about mermaids anyway), she rushed into the water, diving down when it was deep enough. As soon as her tail appeared, she swam as fast as she could.

 _I just want to go home. Is this my punishment for how I acted? Why was I brought here?_

After a few minutes, she slowed down, and went back to the surface, taking a deep breath. She looked out to the wide ocean, and let her mind go blank. As she did, for a second, there was a shimmer in front of her. Hand trembling, she reached forward and was met with the feeling of something solid.

 _An invisible wall? Why would they have an invisible wall out here? So, it wouldn't even matter if I could swim home, I can't leave this way._

Charlotte sighed heavily, and dipped back under the water, swimming back to shore. It looked like whatever this town was, the ones who resided in it would be the only way she could get home.

She pulled herself back onto the sand. After she was dry, she pulled her knees up to her chin, and wrapped her arms around her legs.

 _Eventually, I'm going to have to go back to Regina and Emma. I need to get home. Mom must be so worried… And it's been a couple days, maybe Lewis and the girls have calmed down._

Of course, she _had_ attacked them, and they _had_ been on the verge of winning. It was only luck that she still had her powers and her tail. When she got back to Australia, she had three angry mermaids that considered her a danger to deal with. That was not something she was looking forward to.

 _None of this would've happened if they were just nice to me. Or if Cleo hadn't… done everything she had!_

Charlotte huffed angrily and stood up, brushing the sand off her clothes. She stomped back up the beach, thinking back to how they had taunted her at the moon pool, how Cleo was constantly trying to steal Lewis away from her.

 _Just like everything else that has gone wrong lately, it's Cleo's fault that I'm stuck here!_

She felt her hands grow hot before suddenly bursting into flames. With a small shriek, she knelt down and buried her hands in the sand, immediately extinguishing the fire.

"Right," she whispered. "I have to keep calm. I can't let my emotions get the better of me."

She stood back and shook the sand off. After another few minutes more of walking, she came up to the pier, where a boy slightly younger than her stood, his hands in his pockets, and a smile on his face.

"Are you Charlotte?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Charlotte raised her eyebrow. "Who are you?"

The boy's smile widened slightly. "My name's Henry. You met my moms, Regina and Emma?"

Charlotte smirked. "So, you're the grandson of Snow White?"

Henry nodded, nothing but sincerity on his face. "Emma's my birth mother, Regina adopted me. They wanted me to find you, and I figured, where else would a mermaid go?"

"They told you-"

"It's okay, Charlotte, you don't have to worry about hiding it. Believe me," Henry chuckled, "a mermaid isn't the strangest thing around here."

"So, this place is really filled with fairy tale characters?" Charlotte asked incredulously. "How am I supposed to believe that?"

"You're a mermaid, aren't you? You've got magic, why can't you believe?"

Charlotte huffed and started walking past him, but Henry just followed her. "There's a difference! I jumped into a magic volcano and became a mermaid. That's the only exposure I've had to magic, until I got sucked into a whirlpool and woke up here! So, you'll excuse me if suddenly jumping into a fairy tale and meeting the Evil Queen is a little out of my wheelhouse!"

For a minute, Henry was quiet, and they continued walking, Charlotte half-marching down the street.

"They told me you were from a different realm, I just didn't think… I'm sorry, Charlotte."

Charlotte sighed and slowed down, letting Henry catch up with her before they both sat down on a bench.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you, Henry. I'm sorry too." She looked around the bustling streets. Hansel and Gretel were going down the sidewalk with the daughter of the Mad Hatter.

"Why don't we go to my grandma's house? I can fill you in about what happened after my mom broke the curse. My moms are talking to Ariel, to see if she can help get you home. They'll come find us when they have something."

"You want _me_ to meet _Snow White_?"

Henry smiled again and stood up in front of Charlotte. "Yes, I do," he said, holding out his hand.

Taking his hand, Charlotte stood up and followed him down the street.


End file.
